The Divine Honours of Miraj: Beatific Vision, Ṣalah, Paradise, and Hell

The Station of Mustawā

When the beloved Prophet ﷺ moved beyond Sidrat Al-Muntahā, Sayyidunā Jibrīl عَلَيْهِ السَّلَام stopped and excused himself.⁶ Then, the Prophet ﷺ travelled onwards and ascending upwards, he ﷺ reached a station called Mustawā. Here, the Prophet ﷺ heard the screeching of pens.¹ The Angels record the daily affairs of the Divine Decree, and record a year's decree from al-Lawḥ al-Maḥfūẓ (the Preserved Tablet) on separate scrolls with these pens. These scrolls are then passed over to the deputised angels, connected to the 15th night of Sha'bān.²

Above the Lofty 'arsh

Then, the Prophet ﷺ travelled beyond the Mustawā and arrived at the 'arsh and traversed beyond it and arrived where "when" and "where" themselves had ceased, because these words are used for time and place and the extent of the Prophet's ﷺ ascent was where there was no place nor time, and for this reason it is called Lā Makān.

Suraagh-e-ain-o-mataa kahan tha
Nishaan-e-kaif-o-ilaa kahan tha

Na koi rahi na koi sathi
Na sang-e-manzil na marhalay thay ³

For 'where' and 'when' there were no clues, for 'how' and 'to' there were no traces

Neither was there a traveller, nor a companion, nor a milestone nor any phases

Here, Allah Almighty bestowed such a special nearness upon His beloved Prophet ﷺ that no other has attained nor will attain. The Quran mentions the wording قَابَ قَوْسَیْنِ (Qābā Qawsayn),⁴ which is used when the intention is to inform of utmost proximity.

¹ Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 349
² Mir'aat Al-Manajih, Mi'rāj Ka bayan, vol. 8, p. 155
³ Hada'iq-e-Bakhshish, vol. 1, p. 235
⁴ Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 7517

The Honour of the Beatific Vision of Allah Almighty and Direct Speech

The noble, beloved Prophet ﷺ saw Allah Almighty, in a wakeful state, with the blessed eyes of his blessed head, a vision for which there was no time nor place, nor veil, nor covering, nor was there any angel or human being, and he attained the honour of speaking with Allah Almighty directly.¹

The revelation of Lā Makān

What was the revelation that Allah Almighty revealed to His chosen servant at this station of close proximity and what secrets were bestowed? The Holy Quran describes this in the following words,

فَاَوْحٰۤی اِلٰی عَبْدِهٖ مَاۤ اَوْحٰی

"So He revealed to His servant that which He revealed."

Most of the research scholars say that no one knows the content of this particular revelation because the secrets of the One who loves and the one He loves are not divulged to others. If Allah Almighty wished to make this apparent, He would have mentioned it Himself, but He did not, saying, "So He revealed to His servant that which He revealed." Therefore, who would venture to determine it?

¹ For detailed information about the noble Messenger's ﷺ ascension beyond the 'arsh and his seeing Allah Almighty without any veil, refer to the treatise Muḥayyā Al-Muṣṭafā Yūsūl Al-Ḥabīb (الشَّفِیَق فِیْ رُؤْیَةِ الْحَبِیْب) in Fatawa Al-Ridwiyyah, vol. 30, p. 637

In any case, in summary, this much can be said that whatever Allah Almighty, according to His divine wisdom, wished to confer upon His beloved Prophet ﷺ from physical, spiritual, inward and outward bounties, knowledge, and cognisance, both religious and worldly, He did. However, the manifestation of each bounty, knowledge, and wisdom occurred at its appointed time and continues to occur.¹

From 50 to 5 Prayers

Allah Almighty granted the Prophet ﷺ 50 prayers for every day and night. Upon returning, when the Prophet ﷺ reached Sayyidunā Mūsā عَلَيْهِ السَّلَام, Sayyidunā Mūsā asked, "What obligation did your Lord impose on your Ummah?" He replied, "Fifty prayers." Sayyidunā Mūsā عَلَيْهِ السَّلَام said,

اِرْجِعْ اِلٰی رَبِّکَ فَاسْأَلْهُ التَّخْفِیْفَ فَاِنَّ اُمَّتَکَ لَا یُطِیْقُوْنَ ذٰلِکَ فَاِنِّیْ قَدْ بَلَوْتُ بَنِیْ اِسْرَائِیْلَ وَخَبَرْتُهُمْ

"Return to your Lord and ask Him to lighten (the burden), for indeed your Ummah are not going to be able to fulfill it. Indeed, I tried and tested Bani Isrā'īl."

The Prophet ﷺ returned to the court of his Lord عَزَّوَجَلَّ and pleaded, "يَارَبِّ خَفِّفْ عَلٰی اُمَّتِیْ" "O Lord, lighten (the burden) of my Ummah." Allah Almighty lessened five prayers. The Prophet ﷺ reached Sayyidunā Mūsā عَلَيْهِ السَّلَام again and informed him, "Allah Almighty lessened five prayers." Sayyidunā Mūsā عَلَيْهِ السَّلَام again mentioned that his Ummah would not be able to fulfil this, and so he should go back to his Lord and request Him to lessen it.

¹ Maqalat-e-Kazimi, vol. 1, p. 195 Summarized

Thus, the matter continued in this way that the Prophet ﷺ presented himself in the court of Allah Almighty and He reduced the prayers by five. Then the Prophet ﷺ would come before Prophet Mūsā عَلَيْهِ السَّلَام and he would be returned to request a further reduction until Allah Almighty said, "O Muhammad! There are five prayers in every day and night, and the reward of every prayer is ten-fold. Thus, they are (like) fifty prayers. Whoever intends to perform a good deed, but then he does not perform it, one good deed will be recorded for him. If he does perform it, ten good deeds will be recorded for him. Whoever intends to commit a bad deed, and then he refrains from it, no bad deed will be recorded in his book of deeds. If he does the bad deed, then one bad deed will be recorded against him." The Prophet ﷺ returned to Prophet Mūsā عَلَيْهِ السَّلَام and informed him of this, whereupon Prophet Mūsā عَلَيْهِ السَّلَام made the same request, "Return to your Lord and ask for a reduction." The Prophet ﷺ replied, "I have gone back again to my Lord so many times that now I feel shy from Him."¹

Journey through Paradise

After this, the Prophet ﷺ returned to Sidrat Al-Muntahā. This time, different colours had spread across it. It is mentioned in a narration that the angels requested Allah Almighty to see the Prophet ﷺ, so Allah Almighty granted them permission. Those Angels spread themselves upon Sidrat Al-Muntahā to gain the honour of seeing the Prophet ﷺ.² Then the Prophet ﷺ was taken to Paradise. There were palaces of pearls and its soil was musk.³ The Prophet ﷺ noted four rivers here; one of water which does not change, a second of milk whose taste does not alter, a third of wine such that those who drink from it find it only pleasing (without intoxication) and the fourth of pure honey.

¹ Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 162
² al-Dur al-Mansoor, Surah Al-Najm, verse 16, vol. 14, p. 28
³ Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 3342

Its pomegranates were like drums in size and its birds like camels. In it, Allah Almighty has prepared for His obedient slaves such rewards that no eye has seen, nor any ear has heard, nor any human has imagined. ¹

Arrival at the River of Kawthar

During his journey through Paradise, the Prophet ﷺ arrived at a river on whose banks were dome encampments of hollowed pearl and whose soil was pure musk. The Prophet ﷺ asked, "What is this O Jibrīl?" He replied, "It is Kawthar that your Lord عَزَّوَجَلَّ has bestowed upon you."²

Vision of Hell

After traveling through Paradise, he was shown hell such that he was in Paradise and the veil was lifted over hell so that he could see it.³ Then it was veiled from him and he returned to Sidrat al-Muntahā.⁴

The Return Journey

Then the return journey began until the Prophet ﷺ reached the nearest sky and upon looking below it, he saw dust and smoke filled with clamour. He asked Sayyidunā Jibrīl عَلَيْهِ السَّلَام, "What is this, O Jibrīl?" He replied, "These are the devils that swarm over the eyes of human beings to stop them reflecting upon the dominions of the heavens and the earth. If this dust and smoke was not here, then people would have seen the wonders of creation."⁵

¹ Dala'il Al-Nubuwwah Li al-Bayhaqi, vol. 2, p. 394
² Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 2581
³ Al-Mawahib al-Ladunniyyah, vol. 2, p. 381
⁴ Hashiya Al-Dardir 'ala Qissah Al-Miʿrāj, p. 22; Dala'il Al-Nubuwwah Li al-Bayhaqi, vol. 2, p. 390
⁵ Musnad Ahmad: 8872